Windsor Castle refurbishment begins

A Windsor Castle refurbishment has got underway at The Royal Mews ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's May 19 wedding.

A £27 million Windsor Castle refurbishment is underway ahead of the royal wedding.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Scaffolding on the big gated entrance at The Royal Mews - the exclusive Royal Family-only entrance - went up on Monday (08.01.18) and work is expected to take between four and five weeks to complete, meaning it should be done in time for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials on May 19.

According to Mail Online, if some of the work is not ready in time then castle bosses could make it "disappear" by using life-size images of the castle walls which have been used during previous building to hide unsightly scaffolding.

Castle renovations were announced in 2016 but Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, were still keen to hold their wedding at St George's Chapel in the grounds, rather than Westminster Abbey.

Other refurbishments being made to the castle include a Georgian entrance hall being reinstated, a new education centre, and there are also plans to build a new cafe on the ground floor.

The refurb is expected to run until the end of 2018.

While Harry and Meghan got their choice of Windsor Castle for their wedding, they are said to have been put off having their reception at their first choice, Frogmore House, which is a mile away from the castle, and look set to hold it at nearby St George's Hall instead.

A senior royal source recently said: "They would have loved Frogmore for the party, particularly Meghan, who has called it 'dreamy', but they have been told St George's Hall is far more practical.

"One person who would have readily approved of their choice was the queen, for whom Frogmore is a very special place.

"The queen would also have loved the family to see what had been done at Frogmore: the house has just been renovated by a group of friends as a 70th wedding anniversary gift to her and Philip."